Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her family in an honour killing

A 26-year-old woman hailed as Pakistan's version of Kim Kardashian was tragically murdered by her brother for apparently bringing shame on her family. The fact that an act like this took place so close to the annual Day of Memory for honour killing victims on July 14th brings to light the urgency of the issue, not only in this country but all around the world.

Qandeel Baloch was a feminist who used her social media platforms to broadcast her beliefs that women shouldn't be sidelined in her culture. Viewed as a symbol of female empowerment - something which is hugely valuable in a society where many women feel oppressed - she often caused controversy by posing for provocative photographs; including one of herself with a Muslim cleric.

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After Qandeel was found dead on Friday, her brother Mohammad Waseem admitted that he'd strangled her in an honour killing. In his confession video, her brother heartlessly said: "I am proud of what I did. I drugged her first, then I killed her. She was bringing dishonour to our family."

He went on to say that watching his friends share his sister's videos was "too much", and that he'd rather have killed her than killed himself. "Girls are born to stay home," he firmly believed.

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Reflecting the importance of her voice, Qandeel had almost 750,000 followers on her Facebook page, where she shared increasingly political posts which stood up to the notion that women are a lesser sex.

It's a complete tragedy that a member of Qandeel's own family has committed such a barbaric crime and worse, to have such little remorse. But honour killings aren't just an issue in middle eastern countries; they happen on our own doorstep, too.

Just last week we celebrated the life of Shafilea Ahmed, a British-born Asian woman who at just 17-years-old, was strangled by her mother and father for refusing to go along with their arranged marriage. She would have turned 30 last week, but a life was wasted because of an oppressive belief that women shouldn't be able to live whatever kind of life they want to lead.

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